The Orange Democratic Movement has asked the county assembly of Kakamega to withdraw court cases filed over majority leadership.
In a letter by executive director Oduor Ong’wen dated July 6, the party also said disciplinary proceedings against MCAs who defied and/or declined to attend a consultative meeting over the assembly leadership on March 8, be discontinued.
Assembly speaker James Namatsi was asked to implement resolutions on the House majority leadership.
“Pursuant to the Central Committee meeting held on July 2, 2024 regarding the leadership of the Majority party/coalition in the Kakamega county assembly, it was resolved that the changes to the position of the leader of majority, as agreed upon in the meeting of February 8, 2024, are to take effect, with Geoffrey Ondiro assume the position of leader of majority in the assembly,” the letter read.
During a meeting with MCAs on Saturday, party chief Raila Odinga had directed Namatsi to implement the changes.
Raila said matters on assembly leadership are domiciled in the party and not courts or executive.
The meeting was held at ODM deputy leader Wycliffe Oparanya’s home in Butere.
But Namatsi, in his reply, said there was an order challenging the decision by the party and the county assembly was restricted by the directions issued by the court.
“The foregoing will subsist until such a time that we will be ably advised that it is appropriate to take further action,” his letter dated July 12, read.
Namatsi said the office of executive director was in a better position to facilitate unconditional withdrawal of the matters in court, being one of the cited parties in the cases.
Disciplinary proceedings against MCAs would be dealt with by the coalition, he said.
“Please bear with us as we await the conclusion, or withdrawal, of the matters in court.”
In March, Governor Fernandes Barasa blasted the party's leadership after a section of ODM MCAs replaced Philip Maina with Ondiro.
Barasa said despite being the party's county chairman, he had not been consulted.
Grounds for Maina's removal had not been indicated either.
“Ordinarily, it is the majority chief whip who should convene such a meeting and communicate on the resolutions,” Barasa said.
“I have written to the party demanding to know who called the purported meeting, who the attendees were, what the grounds of their removal were and what the resolutions are.”
